Specifications

Glossary 913
Authentication server
An entity that provides an authentication service to an authenticator. This
service determines, from the credentials provided by the supplicant, whether
the supplicant is authorized to access the services provided by the
authenticator. Example: Microsoft IAS is an Authentication Server.
Authenticator
An entity at one end of a point-to-point LAN segment that facilitates
authentication of the entity attached to the other end of that link. Example:
OmniAccess-6000 is an 802.1x Authenticator.
Backbone*
The central part of a large network that links two or more subnetworks and is
the primary path for data transmission for a large business or corporation. A
network can have a wired backbone or a wireless backbone.
Bandwidth*
The amount of transmission capacity that is available on a network at any
point in time. Available bandwidth depends on several variables such as the
rate of data transmission speed between networked devices, network
overhead, number of users, and the type of device used to connect PCs to a
network. It is similar to a pipeline in that capacity is determined by size: the
wider the pipe, the more water can flow through it; the more bandwidth a
network provides, the more data can flow through it. Standard 802.11b
provides a bandwidth of 11 Mbps; 802.11a and 802.11g provide a bandwidth
of 54 Mbps.
Bits per second (bps)*
A measure of data transmission speed over communication lines based on the
number of bits that can be sent or received per second. Bits per second—bps—
is often confused with bytes per second—Bps. While “bits” is a measure of
transmission speed, “bytes” is a measure of storage capability. 8 bits make a
byte, so if a wireless network is operating at a bandwidth of 11 megabits per
second (11 Mbps or 11 Mbits/sec), it is sending data at 1.375 megabytes per
second (1.375 MBps).
Bridge*
A product that connects a local area network (LAN) to another local area
network that uses the same protocol (for example, wireless, Ethernet or token
ring). Wireless bridges are commonly used to link buildings in campuses.